Michael Bolton says he is entering the final phase of his career, but that doesn't mean he sees an end date anytime soon.

"I'm working on new songs and having meetings on developing and producing television shows and film projects, and possibly a Broadway musical," Bolton said by phone. "My friends joke with me about the fact that I never stop."

Bolton, who turns 61 this month, is one of the most successful adult contemporary artists of the past 25 years. The two-time Grammy Award winner performs this week in Englewood and Morristown.

Bolton used a golf analogy to describe the current stage of his 44-year career. "I'm entering the back nine," he said, referring to the final nine holes of a golf course. "The first 18 years leading up to [commercial success] were stellar in some ways, and since then it's been such a rocket ride."

Since releasing his 1987 album, "The Hunger," Bolton has sold more than 60 million records, including two No. 1 albums and nine No. 1 singles on the pop and adult contemporary charts. His latest disc, 2013's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough: A Tribute to Hitsville U.S.A.," pays homage to Motown.

Bolton, who reached his commercial peak in the early 1990s, reemerged in the public eye this past holiday season, starring in a series of ubiquitous Honda commercials. The television and radio spots featured Bolton rocking out on guitar and singing somewhat nonsensical yet infectious winter-wonderland-themed jingles.

"Just when I thought I couldn't get any more exposure," Bolton said with a laugh. "They gave me final approval on all the vocal performances and the footage. I had fun with it and it turned out great. The next thing I knew I was on TV every 15 seconds."

Bolton's long climb to the top of the charts began when he signed his first recording contract in 1970 at age 16. Originally a hard-rock act, Bolton started his career using his given surname, Bolotin, and released his self-titled debut album in 1975.

Songwriting success

In the late 1970s he formed the band Blackjack, which featured future Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick and opened for Ozzy Osbourne. By the mid-1980s, Bolton had released six albums with no commercial success, though he fared better as a songwriter. He had co-penned hits for Laura Branigan and Cher when then-Columbia Records President Al Teller encouraged Bolton to change musical directions.

"He said, 'I know you love rock, but the songs you're giving away, the R&B and pop, that's where your voice sounds best,' " Bolton said. "He wanted me to make an album of those songs. I said, 'I'd love that.' That was the turning point."

"The Hunger" was his first adult contemporary album. His breakthrough follow-up, 1989's "Soul Provider," landed at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart on the strength of three No. 1 pop and adult contemporary singles. Bolton next released back-to-back blockbusters: the No. 1 pop albums "Time, Love and Tenderness" (1991) and "Timeless: The Classics" (1992). The former featured a No. 1 pop single, Bolton's version of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman." He won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1989 ("How Am I Supposed to Live Without You") and 1991 ("When a Man Loves a Woman").

Bolton has since released a steady string of albums, dabbled in television and film and penned his memoir, "The Soul of It All," which was published last year. He has also done extensive charity work on behalf of battered women. His Michael Bolton Charities has raised nearly $4 million over the past 21 years to support women who have experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Bolton said that while he will be remembered most for his music, he hoped that his anti-violence work would have the longest-lasting impact.

"We have to find ways to stop violence directed towards women," he said. "It's a consciousness change that has to be cemented into our collective social belief system."